ASUS and Skype launch dedicated AiGuru SV1 videophone

Following in the dubious footsteps of Creative, ASUS just announced a dedicated videophone all its own. The AiGuru SV1 followup to the voice-only S1, enables virtually unlimited video calls without a computer -- a world's first to get a big thumbs-up from Skype. The SV1 packs an 800 x 600 pixel 7-inch LCD, integrated speaker and mic (or jacks for your own), a VGA-quality webcam, and connects to the Internets over 802.11b/g WiFi or Ethernet. It'll even run off battery for up to 20-minutes if absolutely necessary. Available for pre-order in Europe and North America today for a netbook-priced, $300 beans -- ships in October.

[Russ @ Sep 18th 2008 5:26AM]

wow.. the future just arrived!

[gad get @ Sep 18th 2008 5:38AM]

I knew the future was ugly and impractical.

[raul @ Sep 18th 2008 5:56PM]

So no one uses the eee for skype calls?... and other stuff for the same price?
Just leave it open showing the weather and some pictures of your family (like those $200 frames), make the calls and you can still browse the internets...
I mean... for that price...

[martin @ Sep 18th 2008 5:40AM]

The lower half of this thing looks like a butt, but without a crack in the middle.

[Jash Sayani @ Sep 18th 2008 5:37AM]

Another Skype phone !
Why cant people just use Skype on their netbooks or WinMobile device...?

[Ricardo Oliveira @ Sep 18th 2008 5:40AM]

hum, why not enable the webcam on my Nokia N800 ???????????????????????????
that would provide thousands of other applications, and have skype with webcam for less than 300 usd !

[alvaro barroso @ Sep 18th 2008 5:53AM]

20 min battery life?ok, I know, next year they will launch exactly the same model with 2 hours battery life, and Im pretty sure they can make it now...this really bugs me, when I 1st read the header I said,-that's it! Gonna buy 15 of those for my company...but with that battery life....

[Ricardo @ Sep 18th 2008 6:50AM]

It's not supposed to run on battery, it's just a backup.

[Muhammad-Oli @ Sep 18th 2008 6:00AM]

VGA camera... Oh yes. HD quality!

[r3n @ Sep 18th 2008 6:23AM]

20 minutes of portable video calling

can anybody say 3G?

[hfcoma @ Sep 18th 2008 6:40AM]

Make it understand SIP and it´s bought. Skype? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/25/skype_backdoor_rumours/

[Tomahawk @ Sep 18th 2008 7:19AM]

Or for hundred bucks more you could get the Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop, get a bigger screen, better webcam, and if you call in the next 15 minutes (because we can't do this all day) we'll throw in a laptop which can for run for up to 7 hours*



Restrictions apply, requires 6-cell battery.

[James Corbett @ Sep 18th 2008 10:43AM]

Great news - when I was trialling the EeePC in March I wrote a blog post predicting that they'd do this, but I called it the Skypebook - http://eirepreneur.blogs.com/eirepreneur/2008/03/skype-branded-p.html

[Raphael Salgado @ Sep 18th 2008 8:56AM]

I've been waiting for someone to come out with something like this for a long time. No computer, easy-to-use, full-screen, perfect for grandmothers in Florida with grandkids further north, or relatives overseas, whatever.

Unfortunately, all the other previous companies saw the demand yet wanted to do their own service and charge a monthly fee, from Logitech VideoCall (failed), Ojo ($35 a month?!) to other devices that just suck, i.e. D-Link i2eye (discontinued).

Kudos for Asus and Skype.

[Randell @ Sep 18th 2008 10:27AM]

Ojo's monthly fee is $10, not $35.

[quag @ Sep 18th 2008 9:20AM]

You kids don't get it, do you?

This product isn't designed for you... it's for my mom.

In that context, I think the idea is brilliant. It's a simple *appliance* that I can plop down in her kitchen or living room. As a fixed use appliance, it's idiot proof (sorry mom). Your netbooks and smartphones are far from idiot proof.

That being said, while the idea is brilliant, the execution absolutely sucks. This beast is missing some basic features such as the ability to adjust the tilt of the display and the camera. And it lacks a phone dial pad, which is critical because not all of my mom's friends use Skype. Also, it really should have a regular phone handset because my mom like the speakerphone and she's not a Time-Life operator so putting on a headset to make a call it's going to happen.

So maybe they didn't intend this for my mom. And clearly the nerds would prefer to use their smartphones and netbooks. Without a clear target audience, it's likely going to fail.

I would hate to see that happen because it will make it harder for the next guy to justify a similar (but hopefully better) product to his pointy headed boss.

[Dave @ Sep 18th 2008 11:09AM]

When I first saw this thing I too thought mom or grandma. Seriously, since this one connects using Skype it essentially could connect the older generations to the younger generations that are using Skype. In the past similar models didn't connect you with the masses because they were all using proprietary systems that no one used. But the popularity of Skype is huge and has hit critical mass. Let's hope they quickly pop out another version of this unit that makes it that much easier for grandma to use as I agree that a keypad and handset would be nice additions.

[thomas @ Sep 19th 2008 12:00AM]

same here , my mum is a technophobe , really hates computers because she doesn't know how to use them .When i first sae it i liked the concept .But they probably could have included a wireless handset ? and maybe a tactile dialpad with large numbers .Skype FTW !!!

[Taomyn @ Sep 19th 2008 6:43AM]

It does tilt.

[Ian @ Sep 18th 2008 9:49AM]

1) Buy a Netbook for say $300-400.00
2) Buy a Nokia N810 for $300.

Both give you more for the money + Skype and video.

[KC @ Sep 18th 2008 11:13AM]

Urm... you can't do Skype + video on the N810. Skype + voice only yes. If you have done it, please let us know how it is done.

[fobunited @ Sep 18th 2008 9:40AM]

Wow, there's a price from Asus? Awesome!

[goober_nut @ Sep 18th 2008 10:55AM]

It looks like the 3rd gen iPod nano.

[Josh @ Sep 18th 2008 3:00PM]

$300 beans?!? i don't know...those are some pretty expensive beans...

[Bertil Thorvaldsson @ Sep 19th 2008 4:43AM]

This is exactly what I have been waiting for. To send to my granddaughter who lives overseas (yes, that means USA) so that I can see and talk to my grandchildren. I already tried to send them a webcam but that was just a too complicated to set up every time with wires and stuff. This new device can just sit there in their family room, enabled and ready for me to call in to. The price is robbery for what it is, but it is cheap for all the pleasure I will get out of it.

[ug @ Sep 19th 2008 1:43PM]

The iPhone should have had a front-facing camera to enable this.

[kb @ Nov 29th 2008 6:33AM]

This is just what I was looking for so mom can talk to and see the grandkids. She, too, would prefer a speakerphone. And, if anyone is reading this, big buttons for old hands and ability to turn off her side of the image. Maybe it will come as we want in the second generation.

[N Booher @ Dec 13th 2008 2:33PM]

There is a device that will be featured on Donald Trump's Apprentice show that does fill the bill. It is called the IRIS 3000 from ACN. This phone will be successful! Copy this link and check out this video.... https://www.myacn.com/digital/support_iris3000_videos.html Team ID# 01728812

[N Booher @ Dec 13th 2008 2:41PM]

Sorry about the installation link above.....Here is a video of the product features.


http://video.acninc.com/Training/product/IRIS3000/IRIS3000.html

Team ID# 01728812